Arne Slot wowed by Liverpool late show in opening EPL win over Bournemouth

LONDON – Liverpool kicked off the defence of their English Premier League title with an entertaining 4-2 victory over Bournemouth on Aug 15, with manager Arne Slot bowled over by the atmosphere on an emotional Anfield evening as two late goals stole the show.

“Do you have half an hour?” the Dutchman said laughing when asked to sum up a night that started with a tribute to their Portugal forward Diogo Jota, who died in a car crash in July.

Liverpool substitute Federico Chiesa and talisman Mohamed Salah struck in the 88th and 94th minute respectively after Antoine Semenyo’s double drew Bournemouth level.

The Reds had earlier looked comfortable after goals by Hugo Ekitike and Cody Gakpo put them 2-0 up after 49 minutes.

“Unbelievable atmosphere in the final minutes,” Slot said.

“I thought that winning the league here (last season) will always be more special than winning a home game against Bournemouth, but the last six or seven minutes – wow, wow, wow, wow. How impressive that was.

“Three teams involved in a great game. Why three teams? Bournemouth and us playing full gas for 96 minutes, or even longer, 99 I think... and the referee (Anthony Taylor) who just kept the game going, didn’t blow his whistle every single time for every small thing.

“It was a great game to watch. In the end, we won it. So that helps for my emotions.”

However, the overriding emotion on the night, Slot said, was how “impressive and powerful the tribute for Jota was”.

There were numerous touching moments at Anfield in honour of the Liverpool forward and his brother Andre Silva, who was also killed in the accident in northern Spain.

“They sang for him (Jota) before the game, in the first minute, after 20 minutes, and again at the end. It was so impressive, so powerful,” Slot said.

“His wife is here, his children are here, and for them it might be special to hear how much he’s loved over here.”

The one negative for Liverpool was their defensive frailty, with Semenyo twice capitalising on the Reds’ leaky backline.

“Normally, you can complain about our players not sprinting back hard enough, but they did,” Slot said.

“The only thing we need to do better, but that’s in an ideal world, is where do you lose a ball? The best way is not to lose a ball.

“And if you do... lose it with a shot, or it ends up in a corner kick or a goal kick, but don’t lose it at your own 18-yard line.

“But I always judge, how hard do they sprint back? And in both situations, they sprinted back really hard.”

Meanwhile, Bournemouth captain Adam Smith said he was left shocked and angered after teammate Semenyo reported being racially abused by a fan during the match.

The match was briefly halted after half an hour when Semenyo told referee Taylor of the incident and both managers were informed.

Merseyside Police said a 47-year-old man had been ejected from Anfield. On Aug 16, they confirmed the man from Liverpool had been arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence and taken into custody to be interviewed.

Semenyo showed remarkable poise to not only continue but also go on to score twice in the second half, as Bournemouth came within minutes of holding the defending champions to a draw.

“Totally unacceptable. Kind of in shock it happened in this day and age. I don’t know how Ant has carried on playing and come up with his goals,” said Smith.

Premier League players have taken a knee before matches as part of anti-racism campaigns in recent seasons, but Smith said the message is still not getting through.

Tottenham Hotspur condemned the online racist abuse aimed at Mathys Tel after he missed a penalty in their European Super Cup loss to Paris Saint-Germain on Aug 13.

“He’s a little bit down. Something needs to be done. Taking a knee has taken no effect,” Smith added.

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola said the incident had taken the shine off a thrilling start to the Premier League campaign on the field.

“It is a shame that the first game of the Premier League, both teams playing a really good game, we are speaking about this,” said the Spaniard.

Slot added: “We definitely need to address this. It is unacceptable in every football stadium, let alone Anfield.” REUTERS, AFP